bangin bass

[galantgtz36]

my car audio set up is

1 12" kicker L7 in ported box
Sony xm2002gtw 1200 watt amp
Dual xdmr7700 head unit
front door alpine speakers
scosche 500k farad cap ( thinkin about upgrading to a tsunami 2 farad cap )

but its not pushin amazingly hard like a i hear people say the L7 pushes. What amp should i get to really get this thin' bangin? i was thinkin a kicker 1000 watt mono amp or a good mtx amp. Also, if i blast the volume too high there's distortion kinda. maybe its cuz i got a cheap dual head unit. (xdmr7700). Any help on gettin this thing louder and better? thanks

[depoautolights]

get a kicker 750w at 1ohm amp, i think it was made spcifically for the l7..another option is to get the hifonics amp 1000w at 1 ohm...that should get you right...sony i know has some weak amps (not true power at all).

[Divinity]

This is what I suggest... The Kicker L7 is rated having 750 watts RMS, 1500 watts peak, and the Sony XM2002GTW is rated having 500 watts RMS, 1200 watts peak. So what that means.... you are underpowering your subwoofer. You need to find an amplifer that can match the RMS of your subwoofer to get it's optimal performance. As for the headunit... from what I see for the specs, it seems okay. As long as you can adjust the sound with it, you should be okay. A lot of people swear by Alpine or Pioneer (I love Pioneer head units myself) but I think you'll be fine for a while.

[nycking23]

is the kicker a dual 2 or dual 4 ohm?

i believe the L7's are 1000w RMS

if you have the dual 2, get an amp that can put out 1000RMS @ 1 ohm

if you have the dual 4, get an amp that can put out 1000RMS @ 2 ohm

also, the box might be part of your problem. is it a prefab box? what is it tuned to? i would suggest either building a box to the correct specifications or having a good shop build one for you

as far as distortion, you may have the gains turned up too high on your current amp. especially if the amp is only 500w RMS. trying using a digital multimeter to properly adjust your gains. there is a tutorial on JL audio's website

[Divinity]

is the kicker a dual 2 or dual 4 ohm?

i believe the L7's are 1000w RMS


The 15"L7 is 1000watts RMS, the 12" is 750watts RMS. And I think they are 2 and/or 4ohms

[nycking23]

is the kicker a dual 2 or dual 4 ohm?

i believe the L7's are 1000w RMS


The 15"L7 is 1000watts RMS, the 12" is 750watts RMS. And I think they are 2 and/or 4ohms

oops, i could have sworn he said he had a 15


well scratch what i said about 1000, and replace it with 750

but they are still DVC subs

[fatal1]

before they were stolen out of my other car i had 2 12" l7s in a ported box...i had the kicker 1000 watt amp pushing both but the sq was lacking a bit i wound up switching to the hifonics brutus and it banged and was a lot clearer

[Serstylz2]

Dual headunits are just pretty.. not the best or highest quality.. def get rid of the amp first and foremost though

[galantgtz36]

yea the amp is not so good i was jus lookin for a cheap, decent amp. I guess I'll switch to the kicker 750 cuz the kicker zx1000 seems like too much power i dont wanna blow the sub. but thanks everyone cuz that helped out a lot. I live in Miami and i went to cartronics to get my stuff installed, they ordered the box for me so i guess the box is good quality, i dk the specs on it, but they know their shit about car audio so i think the box should be good.

[galantgtz36]

and yea the sub i have is 2 ohms

[cutthrote]

I would get an amp that puts out ~1000W @ 1 ohm since you have the DVC 2 ohm model. This will give your amp more headroom as you can always set the amps gain to match the wattage your seeking and you wouldn't have to push the amp to its full potential. This also leaves you more wattage in case you plan to upgrade your subwoofer(s) in the future. The 750W kicker amp would be perfectly fine though since their amps are underrated. My kx1200.1 actually puts outs ~1400W @ 1ohm according to the birthsheet. I have that amp pushing my 500W type R which is seeing ~900W. I wouldn't recommend getting an amp drastically larger than 1000W @ 1ohm unless you have or plan on getting a H.O. alternator....they cost more anyway!

[galantgtz36]

I would get an amp that puts out ~1000W @ 1 ohm since you have the DVC 2 ohm model. This will give your amp more headroom as you can always set the amps gain to match the wattage your seeking and you wouldn't have to push the amp to its full potential. This also leaves you more wattage in case you plan to upgrade your subwoofer(s) in the future. The 750W kicker amp would be perfectly fine though since their amps are underrated. My kx1200.1 actually puts outs ~1400W @ 1ohm according to the birthsheet. I have that amp pushing my 500W type R which is seeing ~900W. I wouldn't recommend getting an amp drastically larger than 1000W @ 1ohm unless you have or plan on getting a H.O. alternator....they cost more anyway!

oh yeah about that, my headlights and interior lights blink when my system is up. does this mean i need a H.O alternator, or a better capacitor cuz now i only have the cheap schosche 500k cap. im thinkin about gettin the tsunami 2 farad or atleast 1.2. my friend told me when i get my hid lights they wont blink but i jus wanna know if my battery and alternator are gonna die out . thanx bro

[galantgtz36]

i dont get the whole 1 ohm, 2 ohm, 4 ohm thing but dont waste ur time explainin that to me. ima jus go with the kicker zx750.1 amp. i've seen videos of pple runnin that amp with one 12" L7 and its bangin. As long as that has my bass shakin the block im good.

[Distort]

oh yeah about that, my headlights and interior lights blink when my system is up. does this mean i need a H.O alternator, or a better capacitor cuz now i only have the cheap schosche 500k cap. im thinkin about gettin the tsunami 2 farad or atleast 1.2. my friend told me when i get my hid lights they wont blink but i jus wanna know if my battery and alternator are gonna die out . thanx bro

Get a better capacitor.

[Divinity]

oh yeah about that, my headlights and interior lights blink when my system is up. does this mean i need a H.O alternator, or a better capacitor cuz now i only have the cheap schosche 500k cap. im thinkin about gettin the tsunami 2 farad or atleast 1.2. my friend told me when i get my hid lights they wont blink but i jus wanna know if my battery and alternator are gonna die out . thanx bro

Get a better capacitor.

Are you running on a stock battery? If you are, get an Optima yellow or red top battery, or some kind of deep cycle battery

[QnzMostWanted]

sony amps suck....

[galantgtz36]

I would get an amp that puts out ~1000W @ 1 ohm since you have the DVC 2 ohm model. This will give your amp more headroom as you can always set the amps gain to match the wattage your seeking and you wouldn't have to push the amp to its full potential. This also leaves you more wattage in case you plan to upgrade your subwoofer(s) in the future. The 750W kicker amp would be perfectly fine though since their amps are underrated. My kx1200.1 actually puts outs ~1400W @ 1ohm according to the birthsheet. I have that amp pushing my 500W type R which is seeing ~900W. I wouldn't recommend getting an amp drastically larger than 1000W @ 1ohm unless you have or plan on getting a H.O. alternator....they cost more anyway!

ur pushin over 1000 watts, did u have to upgrade to a HO alternator or anythin?

[Jeffylou87]

Haha Im pushing well over 2000 watts and my alty is on the fritz... Ha never changed the battery either

[GoldGalant [Reborn]]

Get yourself a better head unit, Eclipse preferably :D

[fatal1]

the head unit will just effect the interior speakers the subs will be seperate and controlled pretty much soley by the amp you have...considering you hve a gtz (going by your user name) you have an interior amp that came with the stock infinity system, and if everything was done correctly and that amp wasnt bypassed the interiors should stuill be functioning the same....all you really need is a "pretty head unit" to get better clarity in the interior speakers you should 1 upgrade them to better speakers and 2 replace the stock amp with a better one...

your choice in the 750 amp is a good idea although im not a huge fan of kicker amps myself because of the clarity they are on par with the rms watage and if you just want hard hitting bass they are great....it is a safe wattage for that sub and will in the long run make it last longer...

[djflex167]

either the JL Audio Subwoofer models W3, W6 and W7 would kick some a$$ when it comes to bass!! not to mention Kicker L7's and L5's are also great!!

[kylecanthurdle]

i have one 12 inch l7 thats also 2 ohms. get teh kx850.2 or the zx850.2. bridge whichever one you get and ull be good. but if you really want a lil bit more then go for teh monoblocked 1000 watt kicker. u shouldnt mix subs with amps like get teh same brand subs as amp.

[cutthrote]

I would get an amp that puts out ~1000W @ 1 ohm since you have the DVC 2 ohm model. This will give your amp more headroom as you can always set the amps gain to match the wattage your seeking and you wouldn't have to push the amp to its full potential. This also leaves you more wattage in case you plan to upgrade your subwoofer(s) in the future. The 750W kicker amp would be perfectly fine though since their amps are underrated. My kx1200.1 actually puts outs ~1400W @ 1ohm according to the birthsheet. I have that amp pushing my 500W type R which is seeing ~900W. I wouldn't recommend getting an amp drastically larger than 1000W @ 1ohm unless you have or plan on getting a H.O. alternator....they cost more anyway!

oh yeah about that, my headlights and interior lights blink when my system is up. does this mean i need a H.O alternator, or a better capacitor cuz now i only have the cheap schosche 500k cap. im thinkin about gettin the tsunami 2 farad or atleast 1.2. my friend told me when i get my hid lights they wont blink but i jus wanna know if my battery and alternator are gonna die out . thanx bro

If your headlights/interior lights are dimming, it is an indication that your drawing more current than your charging system (alternator) can supply. Factory alternators are designed to supply only enough current for the factory equipped power accessories on your car and dont leave enough headroom for additional power accessories (aftermarket electronics). It could also be that your amp gain is not set correctly, which will definitely cause dimming due to the effects of clipping. Capacitors and additional batteries help relieve this demand for current but they have their place depending on the situation. In the long run, the "full-proof" way to remedy this is to upgrade your alternator to one that supplys efficient amps for your demands. This is a hard topic to explain in a paragraph and I would recommend online reading if it is a serious issue to you (which it should be. Check out www.bcae1.com)....Based on th amp you have, I would almost guarentee it is your gain settings though....There are a few tutorials online on how to adequately set your gain (i.e. http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_amps_pages.php?page_id=30) and how to calculate current draw from your amps. Ive seen a lot of people treat there gain as a volume knob because they felt like there bass was not loud enough....which again leads to trouble. Like I said, my amp is capable of ~1200-1400W, but my speaker doesn't see nearly that amount of wattage b/c of my gain settings...which means no dimming. Doing some reading is the only way you'll get a real understanding of this topic...and it is a very important one when dealing with aftermarket systems

[cutthrote]

I would get an amp that puts out ~1000W @ 1 ohm since you have the DVC 2 ohm model. This will give your amp more headroom as you can always set the amps gain to match the wattage your seeking and you wouldn't have to push the amp to its full potential. This also leaves you more wattage in case you plan to upgrade your subwoofer(s) in the future. The 750W kicker amp would be perfectly fine though since their amps are underrated. My kx1200.1 actually puts outs ~1400W @ 1ohm according to the birthsheet. I have that amp pushing my 500W type R which is seeing ~900W. I wouldn't recommend getting an amp drastically larger than 1000W @ 1ohm unless you have or plan on getting a H.O. alternator....they cost more anyway!

oh yeah about that, my headlights and interior lights blink when my system is up. does this mean i need a H.O alternator, or a better capacitor cuz now i only have the cheap schosche 500k cap. im thinkin about gettin the tsunami 2 farad or atleast 1.2. my friend told me when i get my hid lights they wont blink but i jus wanna know if my battery and alternator are gonna die out . thanx bro

:?: I realized I really didn't answer your specific question though. The first question I would ask is how did you go about setting your gains on the sony amp? If you already have a cap and are using the sony amp, I'm sure upgrading the cap will not eliminate the dimming. Im pretty sure that specific amp doesn't produce a lot of RMS wattage, but if your gains are not properly set than you could be producing a clipped signal which could easily cause the dimming. I can not help but stress properly setting your gain before you waste any money on buying a cap and experiencing the same results....besides, setting your gains is free(if you have a DMM) and it allows you to determine how much current your amp will draw based on your charging system supply. You bass wont be as loud after properly setting the gains on the sony amp, but at this point you start to think about upgrading the amp which brings us back to your original question...

[galantgtz36]

iight change of plans, i wanna feel more bass so this is wut im gonna get

1 kicker zx 1500 for 2 kicker 12 inch L7's (2ohm subs)
tsunami 2 farad cap

..or should i just stick with kickerzx1000 for 2 L7's?

and are mono amps bad for powering 2 subs?

[nycking23]

monoblock amps are fine for 2 subs

as for which one, the zx1000.1 will put out the perfect power for two l7s, but the zx1500.1 will put out a little more than needed. you can use it, but will need to make sure you adjust gains right or you risk blowing the subs

[badmitsu]

If you wont some serious bass, you need to go w/ Memphis.

I had 2 12" subs w/a 1200 watt JL Audio amp and nobody around here could

stand up next to it!

[cutthrote]

Ideally, the zx1500.1 would be a perfect match for two 4ohm 12" L7's, but like nycking23 and myself said...its all about how you use your gain. Im sure you will not be able to push a full 1500 watts with a stock alternator without damaging something unless you keep the volume at a minimum level. I would trying thinking about how much wattage you can use with a stock alternator and then choosing your subs according to that limit...not the other way around

[galantgtz36]

What happens if i use my 500k farad scosche capacitor with a kicker zx1000.1 amp? should i get the tsunami 2 farad capacitor or the 5 farad one?

[galantgtz36]

also will a kicker zx1000.1 amp be a good match for two mtx 8512-44 subs? my friend has mtx subs and those things jus drop bass and pound haaardddd

[racesnos]

i have a Pioneer AVIC-D3 headunit that connects to a JL 1000/1 amp which pushes two Alpine Type-R's and those are only rated at 500 RMS. A JL 1000/1 will surely push your L7 like none other. it's rated at 1.5 ohms to 4 ohms so you're golden. Also look into the MTX Audio 1501 amp. it's also 1000W RMS and i've heard it with a W7 and it hits clean and hard! If your going to use subs like L7's go nothing less than a class D amplifier. thats what i recommend

[djflex167]

with some rockford fosgate apm, you'll be set!

[galantgtz36]

monoblock amps are fine for 2 subs

as for which one, the zx1000.1 will put out the perfect power for two l7s, but the zx1500.1 will put out a little more than needed. you can use it, but will need to make sure you adjust gains right or you risk blowing the subs

i doubt the zx1000 will power 2 L7's good. I have a zx1000 hooked up to one L7 dvc 4 ohm and its weak. the installation place put the gain low and nothin, so i have the gain at 3 quarters now and its not poundin like an L7 should. The dude said it was wired at 2 ohms so i dunno im going with mtx 7500's or 8500's to try something new.

[fliegendaffe]

Ideally, the zx1500.1 would be a perfect match for two 4ohm 12" L7's, but like nycking23 and myself said...its all about how you use your gain.

please tell me you don't use your gain knob like a volume knob...

[fliegendaffe]

i doubt the zx1000 will power 2 L7's good. I have a zx1000 hooked up to one L7 dvc 4 ohm and its weak. the installation place put the gain low and nothin, so i have the gain at 3 quarters now and its not poundin like an L7 should. The dude said it was wired at 2 ohms so i dunno im going with mtx 7500's or 8500's to try something new.

i would make sure the VCs are wired in parallel first. because that doesn't sound right. also, try reversing the polarity of your sub, sometimes that can increase the SPL. it could also be the box it's in.

[fliegendaffe]

i have a Pioneer AVIC-D3 headunit that connects to a JL 1000/1 amp which pushes two Alpine Type-R's and those are only rated at 500 RMS. A JL 1000/1 will surely push your L7 like none other. it's rated at 1.5 ohms to 4 ohms so you're golden. Also look into the MTX Audio 1501 amp. it's also 1000W RMS and i've heard it with a W7 and it hits clean and hard! If your going to use subs like L7's go nothing less than a class D amplifier. thats what i recommend

i concure with a lot of this. class D amps are the most efficient amps, but are bad for SQ, but L7's aren't built for SQ. but one thing to keep in mind, you don't need to match your RMS of your subs and amp up. the wattage on the subs just mean the heat it can handle. so you can hook up a 3000 watt amp to a 1000 watt sub and it will still function perfectly and not kill the sub, as long as you set it up properly.

[cutthrote]

please tell me you don't use your gain knob like a volume knob...

I don't...thats why I mentioned its all about how you set your gain in a couple of my previous post. My point was the same as yours about the 3000W amp vs. 1000W speaker. There's lots of good info in this thread for people looking at sub and amp setups.

[galantgtz36]

i would make sure the VCs are wired in parallel first. because that doesn't sound right. also, try reversing the polarity of your sub, sometimes that can increase the SPL. it could also be the box it's in.

If i get a bigger box will it hit harder? Are the ones on ebay good? I really think the dude at cartronics didnt know how to wire my sub in parallel. Ima check it out this weekend wit my friend and try to wire it accordin to diagram on crutchfield.

[fliegendaffe]

If i get a bigger box will it hit harder? Are the ones on ebay good? I really think the dude at cartronics didnt know how to wire my sub in parallel. Ima check it out this weekend wit my friend and try to wire it accordin to diagram on crutchfield.

depends on the air volume of the box. if the sub needs a ported or not. etc

[fliegendaffe]

is the kicker in the kicker box? then if it is, leave it in there. maybe put some insulation in there.

[galantgtz36]

is the kicker in the kicker box? then if it is, leave it in there. maybe put some insulation in there.

this is the kinda box i have now ... http://cgi.ebay.com/KICKER-12-SUBWOOFER-L5-L7-PORTED-ENCLOSURE-SUB-BOX-U_W0QQitemZ130202979707QQihZ003QQcategoryZ50568QQs sPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[galantgtz36]

is the kicker in the kicker box? then if it is, leave it in there. maybe put some insulation in there.

what about this box? .. http://cgi.ebay.com/12-CUSTOM-KICKER-L7-ENCLOSURE-S12L5-S12L7-3-0FT-3-35Hz_W0QQitemZ160214970578QQihZ006QQcategoryZ50568 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

its 3 cubic ft...too big? or wut? the one i have now is 2.

[fliegendaffe]

give me the specs on the sub

actually all i need to know is if it is a 2 ohm or 4 ohm....also is it from 2001 or 2004?

[galantgtz36]

give me the specs on the sub

actually all i need to know is if it is a 2 ohm or 4 ohm....also is it from 2001 or 2004?

it is a 12 inch DVC 4 OHM 2006 model

[fliegendaffe]

you need a box with about 2.591 cu/ft of air space, so use the 2 cu/ft and put insulator, aka fill, in there to achieve a lil more

[galantgtz36]

Im running a MTX TA7801 amp in my car rite now. specs - http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products/amplifiers/thunder7801.cfm . I wanna get the MTX Sledgehammer with 2 7512 (800 watts peak per sub, 400 rms). Should i get the dual voice coil subs so i can wire it down to 1 ohm? or jus get the single voice coils at 2 ohm load? the Amp is rated 1200 watts at 1ohm but birth = 1627. what do you guys think?..is that pushin the subs too hard at 1 ohm? or jus get the 2 ohm loaded version?

amp is rated 800 at 2 ohms but puts out 1180

[fliegendaffe]

i would say do it at 2 ohm. it's a lil safer on your products

[galantgtz36]

iight thanks bro.

[galantgtz36]

i got a MTX 7801 amp running a kicker L7 ( it hits harder than the kickerzx1000 amp). For the first month it worked fine, but now if i turn up my system, the amp and cap shut off randomly and it comes back on if i lower the volume for a while. now i have to play it at low volumes or it shuts off = no bass to enjoy. Can someone tell me what can possible be wrong..is it the amp or cap gone bad? its just started doing this after over a month. the amp is not overheating becuz its never hot when i touch it when it shuts off...

[fliegendaffe]

your cap isn't shutting off, it can't shut off. the reason why your amp is although, is because it's being over loaded and the protection circuit is turning on.

[galantgtz36]

why would it jus start doing this now though? someone told me maybe a power wire is loose sumwhere..idk

[paparishi90]

Ok here is the deal the capacitor is what is making it go into protection mode. What your amp needs is extra amperage not voltage because it runs at a constant voltage. What happens when the amp needs extra juice from the battery but it cannot offer it the cap sends the stored jolt of electricity to your amp which does not need over 14.4 volts and can potentially cause it to fry so the amp goes into protection mode. Try taking the cap off, get a optima yellow top and a high output alternator and you should be set.

[fliegendaffe]

Ok here is the deal the capacitor is what is making it go into protection mode. What your amp needs is extra amperage not voltage because it runs at a constant voltage. What happens when the amp needs extra juice from the battery but it cannot offer it the cap sends the stored jolt of electricity to your amp which does not need over 14.4 volts and can potentially cause it to fry so the amp goes into protection mode. Try taking the cap off, get a optima yellow top and a high output alternator and you should be set.

LOL

[paparishi90]

LOL

well i had this same conversation with my friend, who is a MECP certified installer at a local audio shop and i took off my cap and guess what no more protection mode. You can try it if you want it helped me and its not gonna hurt your amp any so good luck.

[fliegendaffe]

i am MECP as well. and never heard of anything like that. but caps are useless IMO

[paparishi90]

Think of it this way. Many ac adapters and power converters are rated at a certain constant voltage, for the us its 110, but various amperages. The volts don't technically run through the wire but instead pushes a certain amount of electricity through the wire. When there is a shortage in amps then the electronic device burns up, that is why you see the mA ratings on ac adapters. In order to get a certain number of watts we use the equation, watts=volts*amps. If we increase the volts the amps decrease causing the amp to not get enough current and in the end causing it to burn up. That is how I understand it but that is just my analysis.

[fliegendaffe]

Think of it this way. Many ac adapters and power converters are rated at a certain constant voltage, for the us its 110, but various amperages. The volts don't technically run through the wire but instead pushes a certain amount of electricity through the wire. When there is a shortage in amps then the electronic device burns up, that is why you see the mA ratings on ac adapters. In order to get a certain number of watts we use the equation, watts=volts*amps. If we increase the volts the amps decrease causing the amp to not get enough current and in the end causing it to burn up. That is how I understand it but that is just my analysis.

i know the laws of amps, volts, watts, ohms.

[paparishi90]

I'm not saying that you don't, I'm just explaining my reasoning, but anyways what we can both agree on is that there is no need for a capacitor so don't get a new one.

[fliegendaffe]

I'm not saying that you don't, I'm just explaining my reasoning, but anyways what we can both agree on is that there is no need for a capacitor so don't get a new one.
i concur

[galantgtz36]

I'm not saying that you don't, I'm just explaining my reasoning, but anyways what we can both agree on is that there is no need for a capacitor so don't get a new one.

so your sayin that my cap is no good? its a cheap scosche cap from walmart that came in the amp kit anyway. should i jus put in my tsunami cap? idk i think its the amp.. no wires are loose or anythin..amp isnt overheatin... could it be the sub?..

[galantgtz36]

orr my alternator is dying out or something...?

[fliegendaffe]

so your sayin that my cap is no good? its a cheap scosche cap from walmart that came in the amp kit anyway. should i jus put in my tsunami cap? idk i think its the amp.. no wires are loose or anythin..amp isnt overheatin... could it be the sub?..

any cap = crap

[fliegendaffe]

just take your cap off and run it without it for a while to see if it still does it

[racesnos]

i used to not run a cap for the longest time and i had no problems. only one time when summer hit real hot in SoCal and the trunk got extremely hot and the amp overheated a little but that was only due to a lot of heat and bumpin it all the time
lol

[galantgtz36]

the amp isnt cuttin off anymore..i guess its cuz i've not been bumpin it too hard lately (knock on wood). puttin in 2 mtx 7512's in a sledgehammer box soon to replace kicker L7.